Visa And United Airlines App Gets An Upgrade

The Visa and United Airlines app, United MileagePlus X, is getting an upgrade, allowing members of the program the opportunity to earn awards miles on their everyday purchases, Visa announced on Thursday (Jan. 10).

The loyalty program inside the app, called United Visa Rewards, is powered by the Visa Commerce Network, Visa’s specific loyalty platform. It is available to United Chase Visa cardholders who live in the United States. Once they have enrolled their eligible card through the app, members can peruse all of the enhanced mileage-related offerings from different merchants in the program.

Everything happens in real time – once someone makes a qualifying purchase, they will get a notification inside the app. Members who enroll by March 31 can earn 1,000 miles by adding an eligible card.

The Visa Commerce Network, which was introduced in 2016, allows merchants to connect with customers online in in the app, increasing loyalty and pushing sales. Also, cardholders who use Uber can get rewards through Visa Local Offers with Uber, saving on upcoming rides when they dine or shop.

The Visa Commerce Network is available through commerce APIs developed on Visa’s network, the company said.

Honda also recently teamed up with Visa to offer a payment in the car program. Called the Honda Dream Drive prototype, it’s being billed as the “next generation of infotainment, commerce, services and rewards.”

In a press release on Tuesday (Jan. 8), Olabisi Boyle, vice president of IoT at Visa, said that “by continuing our partnership with Honda, a leader in automotive innovation, we are furthering the development of in-car commerce solutions that focus on security, safety and convenience for the driver. Combining Visa’s payment expertise and Honda’s expansive platform, we are one step closer to transforming the car into a new epicenter for commerce.”